An American Love Story
by Fae 206
Summary: After Kyoko and Kuon tell the Hizuris about their new engagement, Kuu starts to tell a story of his own. This is the story of how the Japanese-American Kuu Hizuri met and fell in love with the Russian-American Juliella. It's a story about love, career, and the way that their relationship led to their precious little Kuon.
1. Prologue - Engagement News

**AN:** I've had this fic in my head for a while. It's to show Kuu (who is one of my top three fave characters in Skip Beat) and Julie. Because there isn't that much information about the couple, most of this is my imagination and not canon but I still hope that you enjoy.

 **An American Love Story**

 **Prologue – Engagement News**

 _Kyoko looked up at the sky that she could see through the tree leaves. This wasn't the first time that Kuon had taken her back to the place that they met but as she saw the candles, the flowers, the gorgeous stones it felt much more special than before. She looked at her boyfriend for the past two years._

" _Stand right here, okay?" Kuon asked and Kyoko nodded as she stood right next to the lake that had brought her so many memories. She smiled as Kuon took her hand and then took a step backwards. He took a deep breath and slipped his hand into his pocket before getting down on one knee. Kyoko covered her mouth with both of her hands, her eyes sparkling._

" _Kyoko, I have never met anyone like you. Not only are you one of the most talented Japanese actresses, not only are you insanely gorgeous but you're kind, brave, and unafraid of the world. You and I met as kids and I'm forever going to want to earn the status of your fairy prince however I want to ask you if I can get the status of your husband. You have made it so I can feel proud of who I am, that I can be a mix between Kuon and Ren, that I can allow myself to feel so much happiness. I would have never imagined this much happiness before. I love you, Kyoko, and I want to ask you if you will do me the honor of becoming my wife. Kyoko Mogami," he said with a warm smile, "Will you marry me?"_

 _Kyoko felt the tears in her eyes and a few trailing down her cheeks, "Yes," she said as she took a deep breath in, "Yes, Yes, Yes," she said with such happiness and she gazed at the beautiful ring that Kuon had picked out. He grinned as he put it onto her finger and stood up. As he did so, Kyoko threw her arms around him and cried into his chest._

" _I love you," she whispered, "I love you so much. I'll become your wife," she said excitedly and he kissed her numerous times._

" _I love you too."_

…

…..

"Well," Julie smiled as she got the dessert that Kuu had made them from the kitchen and she tried to hold back her own tears as she gazed at the engaged couple. "I'm so happy that we get to have you as our daughter," she said before looking at Kuu.

"Well, we've considered you our child for a while," he reminded Kyoko, "but now it'll be legal."

"It will be legal," Kuon said as he kissed Kyoko's hand and she looked at him passionately. They had decided to take a trip to America less than a week after the proposal to tell the Hizuris in person. Kuu had been over the moon with excitement and Julie kept talking about how she wanted to help them plan the wedding.

"I want to get something," Kuu said as he stood up and Julie's eyes widened.

"You're prioritizing something over food, Kuu?" she asked and Kuu nodded as he exited the room. Julie paused before laughing as she cut Kyoko a slice of the cake, "Now I've seen everything," she said before cutting a smaller piece for her son and handing it to him. "So, have you decided when you're going to get married?" she asked and Kyoko looked down.

"Maybe a winter wedding?" she asked and Kuon paused.

"I thought that you would say spring," he said and Kyoko smiled at the plate not sure whether to argue that she liked the idea of getting married in a snowy landscape or whether to just stay quiet. "Well then, winter it is," he smiled and Kyoko put a hand on his wrist.

"How about January next year?" she asked, "Then it'll be between my birthday and yours."

Kuon nodded as he smiled at her, he kissed her cheek and looked back at his mother, "I guess we have a date though to be honest we could elope tomorrow and I would still love it. Most important thing is that I get to be the husband of this truly amazing woman."

Julie smiled happily, "You two are going to make the best married couple," she said and Kyoko blushed.

Kuu returned to the table before either of the young actors could answer, he put down a couple of books on the table, one was a scrapbook and the other two photo albums. "I thought that it might be fun to look at these," he said as Julie got excited.

"What are these?" Kyoko asked as she tilted her head to the side. Kuu handed her the scrapbook and she turned to the first page before gasping. There were two modelling pictures on the page, one of Julie and one of Kuu with the date written on the page. They must have been in their early twenties or even a little younger.

"That was our first job together," Julie pointed and Kyoko smiled.

"That's your true hair color, Father?" she asked and Kuu smiled and nodded, Kyoko had seen him a little older than this when he had performed in Tsukigomori but it was nice seeing both him and Julie together.

"Yes, this is my relationship with Julie within these pages," he said as he tapped the books and Kyoko looked down.

"I've done the same thing with mine and Kuon's," she admitted and Kuon smiled as he wrapped an arm around her.

"I love that about you," he said with another kiss, this time of the lips.

"Do you remember the day we met?" Julie asked as she looked at her husband and Kuu grinned.

"How could I ever forget one of the most important days of my life," he grinned to her.


	2. Chapter 1 - Love at First Sight

**AN:** This is just my imagination of the characters given the little we have to work on. I still hope that you enjoy though

 **Chapter One – Love at First Sight**

"Shuuhei, can you turn your head slightly to the side?" the photographer for the modelling shoot called out and Kuu Hizuri did just as he was asked. To those in the acting world and modelling world, he was Shuuhei Hozu and that's the name that he was going to use.

His popularity had started when he was a teen. He had been cast as a bully who then showed a sympathetic side to himself, people still said it was one of the greatest dramas ever but he had risen out of that shadow and continued to put out numerous hit works. Right now he was twenty-two and he was acting in Tsukigo no Mori, it was the most loved Japanese drama of all modern times and had beaten a few of the top records already.

More importantly, he was cast as Katsuki, the main lead.

That led to many people calling him the most popular actor in all of Japan and he wasn't going to let someone just come and steal that for him. Acting was his life. It was his passion and he wasn't going to stop working hard at proving he could beat people's expectations. His father had taught him the Japanese work ethic and his mother had taught him how to use his imagination to see a different type of world and his understanding and compassion to live in it.

His parents had given up a lot for him to pursue his acting career and it wasn't until he proved himself to Lory Takarada that his dreams started to take shape. Lory in turn had told him that he had made LME, the agency he worked for, more popular and more attractive to other young stars. Due to the way he had started in acting, the way he had tried to prove with his guts that he was worthy of Lory Takarada taking him into the agency, he called him Boss just as he had when he had started as a teenager.

"Perfect, Hozu!" the photographer yelled energetically. "You always get the best shots, no wonder everyone marvels at your perfection."

"My perfection?" Shuuhei laughed as he shook his head and went back to grab a towel. "I'm sorry, that sounds really boring, I have a long way to go before I reach perfection. In fact, I think that the world would be better were this so-called perfection not be attainable at all."

"Yeah, otherwise you wouldn't work so hard to show off," another model laughed and Shuuhei rolled his eyes.

"Show off? Maybe inspire," Shuuhei said as he ran a hand through his brown hair, he sighed as he dabbed at some of the sweat. "I mean, I'm just leading the pack. Doing some work on making it a bit more interesting for the rest of you. Is that really what you think of me, Makoto?"

"What I think is that last night you broke up with another woman," he said and Shuuhei blinked, pointing a finger towards himself. "You go through women as if you were about to die and never see one of them again. I bet you've never considered settling down, have you?"

"With one of the women that I date, I'm looking for some kind of refinement. All the dates that I've been on are kind of….well the women are okay but they're too boring. They accept it too easily and are always star struck, I never have to work at it," Shuuhei yawned and Makoto stared at him.

"I guess. I mean you do treat them all nicely," he said. He looked over to the side of the location where they were shooting at where some of the international models were being shot. "How about them? Long distance relationships are always more challenging than the ones where the girl can stalk you."

"We could take a look," Shuuhei shrugged and he looked at the women. As he came closer, his eyes met with the gorgeous emerald eyes of a younger model. He smiled as he looked at her, she must have been no older than twenty. She was amazing, her long blond hair had enough waviness that it could trickle down her shoulders and made him think of a waterfall.

He had never seen such a goddess before. Someone so beautiful and amazing and he wanted to introduce himself to her. She was wearing a blouse and skirt for her shoot and he wanted to see her in all kinds of different outfits. He definitely wanted to see her again.

He made his way over to her and she paused, "Hi," he grinned, "You don't look like you're from around here."

"[I'm sorry,]" the woman apologized. "[I don't speak much Japanese. If you will excuse me. I only know basic phrases]" she said in English and Shuuhei grinned at her. He loved her voice. One thing about growing up with an American mother was that she had always encouraged him to speak flawless English in case he would have to travel abroad.

"[You have no need to feel sorry. We can talk in English if that is more comfortable for you, I'm fluent in both]" he said in his very charismatic way. No wonder he was such a fan of the ladies, he could make them fall in love with him with just a single smile. If he was nice to her and treated her with respect then she would have no choice but to accompany him for dinner that night.

"[Well, that's good for you. I think I have to do an outfit change now,]" she said and Shuuhei followed her.

"[I have to see you again. You are the most beautiful woman that I've ever seen, I need to see you again]" he told her, using all the tricks that he knew in flirting with her. Most Japanese women would have turned bright red at this point and then they would just nod along and agree with whatever he suggested but this woman, this woman seemed to stand up for herself and Shuuhei definitely wanted some kind of challenge. He was ready for some kind of challenge.

"[I'm sorry. I'm not interested in boring Japanese men,]" she said and Shuuhei's eyes flashed open. Did this woman just turn him down?

"[Then obviously you've never met me. I am the least boring Japanese man that you could meet. I am a top actor in this country, a major celebrity,]" he said and the woman raised an eyebrow.

"[Maybe somebody with a little too much pride?]" she asked before looking away. "[I'm leaving the country after this shoot. It wouldn't do well for me to stay with the kind of man who was only interested in pleasing himself. Now, you are handsome but I assume that you use that as part of your pick up.]"

Shuuhei stared at her, "[So, that's a hard no?]" he asked.

The woman shrugged her shoulders, "[I'm willing to admit that you're very handsome but I'm not interested in you. I already have a man back home that I like.]"

"[Well he's very lucky to have you,]" Shuuhei said before sighing, "[If you ever come back, my name is Hizuri Kuu but I go by Hozu Shuuhei. My offer for dinner stands for any time that you want. My treat. And your name?" he asked and the woman smiled back at him with a soft sigh.

"Juliella"

…

….

"Well," Makoto smiled to Shuuhei as they flew in the airplane together to get to their next modelling shoot. They were both going to do an international shoot in America and had decided that it would be the most entertaining to travel together. Shuuhei kept looking out of the window of the plane. "I do have to hand it to you, you haven't been casually dating for four months now. Something wrong with you? I mean, I get that you're trying to make a change and…"

"She's beautiful," Shuuhei said as he took out some magazine clippings of Juliella. "Can't you see how seriously she actually takes her work and this pose here," he pointed out. "That means that she's very flexible, even to those who practice yoga it's a really hard pose to do."

"Yeah and my best friend now sounds like he's turned into a stalker. How many words did she actually say to you?" Makoto asked and Shuuhei smiled.

"It's not about what she said, it's about what she didn't say. She's gorgeous and maybe it'll all end up as me wasting some months out of my life but her voice. She speaks Russian. That would be a challenging language to learn, wouldn't it?"

"Well, not as challenging as getting through to you," Makoto rolled his eyes as the plane started to land. "I mean, you never even went on one date with the girl and now you've got a huge, somewhat disturbing, obsession with her. Is this all because she turned you down. You know, why don't you get obsessed with somebody who _doesn't_ turn you down. Date someone, fall in love, get married and all that kind of stuff," Makoto advised.

"She lives in San Francisco, her mother is part of this Russian ballet group," Shuuhei told him. "I'm going to go there and find her."

"And make this stunt even creepier," Makoto sighed, "She's not interested in you. Just move on."

Shuuhei sighed and looked down. Why had he felt that, from the very first time they had looked at one another, that this was what they called love at first sight. He had read her responses to interviews and his answers matched so well with hers. He knew that they could talk for hours without getting bored. H knew that she was beautiful and yet had the guts to deal with things. If only he could get close to her again.

"She says she likes pink and purple flowers," Shuuhei commented and Makoto rolled his eyes.

"Just look out the window before you miss it," he advised his friend. "Bud, we're now in America."

…

…

"Okay, can you just give me my bag back," Makoto told Shuuhei who had grabbed one of the carts and put all of their baggage on it from the belt. The two of them had had girls admiring them as they went through the airport but Shuuhei had definitely changed these days.

"I think that I've got them all," Shuuhei replied with a grin, "I like the hard work."

"Well, what you do like is showing off," Makoto said before seeing Shuuhei stop completely as he looked at a group of women. He paused and pressed a hand to Shuuhei's back with a grin. "Alright! Looks like we can have some fun tonight," he said, "got you interested in the -"

"It can't be," Kuu said as he stared at the three women in the Los Angeles airport. He saw the fair skin, the beautiful blond hair, the shape of her body and he stood stunned. He walked over to them, his eyes widening as he saw her. "Juliella?" he asked and she looked at him.

"[Oh, hi]" she grinned with a laugh, "[It's umm, Kuuhei, right?]" she said. "[Are you attending the modelling expo as well.]"

"[Yeah, yeah I am]" Shuuhei said slowly and Makoto put an arm around him.

"[Sorry, ladies,]" he smiled, "[It's Shuuhei, actually. He's been kind of bewitched by you,]" he teased and Shuuhei shot him a threatening look to not say anything about his obsession.

"[Yes, she tends to do that]" one of her friends said. "[Guys all over the world want to be her admirer. I've never seen it happen to someone so handsome, though.]"

"[Jules, you should go for it. He's really sexy,]" another one of her friends said and Julie shrugged.

"[Maybe. If he can prove that he's worthy of me,]" she said as she winked to him and Makoto groaned.

He had no idea what his love sick friend was capable of and neither did any of these women. He did have to admit though, although he preferred Japanese women and wasn't affected by Juliella's enchantment, he could tell how easily it was to fall for her.

 **End of Chapter One**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are much loved**

 **Thank you to reviewers of Chapter Zero**

Blue Sky of Love, Kris XD, PaulaGaTo

 **Response to Reviews**

I love Kuu and wanted to show that by putting a story around him. I don't know much about Julie but I think given that Kuu and Kuon are my favorite characters, I'll most likely like her too. Hope you guys enjoy and hope that Kuu and Julie reappear in the manga soon (like within two years).


	3. Chapter 2 - Getting Ready

**AN:** This chapter is a little shorter than I like my chapters to be but I'm going through some stuff so I hope you just like what I have despite not many people reading this particular fic

 **Chapter Two – Getting Ready**

"So," Makoto asked with a roll of his eyes as he held onto the pass that would get him into the modelling expo that he hadn't been invited to but now it seemed like the main reason why they were in America. "How long did it take you to convince that girl to give you two of these?" he asked and Shuuhei paused, turning to his friend.

"I mean, women are women for the most part," he shrugged and Makoto nodded slowly. He didn't agree with that and his friend had always tried to be pro-women's rights, it sounded odd that he would manipulate a woman who had an interest in him to get close to a woman whose interest still had to be determined. "Maybe twenty minutes, she knew we were models so it was easy to get in, I mean what else is good about being linked to an agency if you can't use it for your own benefit."

Makoto pinched the bridge of his nose, "Maybe to do our work, earn some money, get incredibly rich for how good looking and hard working we are?" he asked and Shuuhei nodded. He walked over to his friend and put his hands on his friend's shoulders, gently massaging them.

"You should be excited too and I promise you, once I have her as my girlfriend, I'll be more than attentive to my work…our work," he told Makoto who smiled stiffly and nodded, his shoulders slumping.

"I just wish you would be more attentive now," Makoto told him and Shuuhei smiled without saying anything in response. Makoto grinned, he couldn't blame his friend. Some women just got you acting crazy like this and he just hoped that his friend wouldn't be disappointed in the results.

Makoto sighed, "Okay, we'll go to the convention but when we're doing the jobs that we're assigned to, I need that hard working Shuuhei so that we don't look bad whilst representing the agency. You always said that you were an actor first and a model second."

"Can I be her husband third?" Shuuhei asked whilst gazing off into the air as if looking at a vision of his future.

"Sure, dude," Makoto said with a deadpan expression, "Whatever your heart desires."

…..

…..

" _I think that I should start making dinner," Julie said as she stood up from the table, her cheeks were turning bright red and Kyoko stood up to follow her lead._

" _I'll help you with that," she said eagerly and Julie nodded allowing Kyoko to follow her into the kitchen. Kuon paused as he turned to his dad not knowing what to say. What really determined how his father had been acting in those early days of his relationship with Julie was how she had obviously liked him back. If he had persisted in pursuing her without any returned emotions, he might just be the biggest pig on the planet but it seemed like he had won her other._

" _Dad, that story…were you really so obsessed?" Kuon felt the need to ask his dad._

" _Kuon," Kuu said as he looked back at him, "I might be romanticizing a few details here and there but isn't the story that you want to hear one where I express the romantic feelings I've always felt for your mother. I mean, the real story might not be so intense but your mother loves hearing romance stories and I know Kyoko loves hearing fairytales."_

 _Kuon smiled, he had to admit that he felt better that his dad was telling him that he wasn't as much of a sex-crazed model as it appeared and he was hoping that he'd get his mother's perspective on this. He did have to admit to himself though that maybe Kyoko would understand. Sho was her prince for a really long time but he had won her in the end, he was the man that she was going to marry and he was only feeling honored by the idea that he was going to be her husband._

 _He waited at the table with his father as his mother and Kyoko came back with fresh tea. As Kyoko handed him his cup, Kuon kissed her cheek and pulled her back into his loving embrace._

" _I think that I should have a go at telling this story," Julie said as she gave a firm look to Kuu that proved he had been elaborating on some parts of his story. It was just like the movie Titanic, not all of those events happened and certainly not with so much intensity but reality was never as good as a story you might want to impress others with._

…..

…..

Julie was looking at some of the makeup at the store that she and her friends were in. One of the good things about having the top model status was that they never had to settle for the makeup that was on sale at these stores, they would sometimes splurge on the good makeup but more than likely they would get free makeup because they were the ones advertising it. It actually made it a lot easier to wear makeup, it was just the type you were given.

Still, she had to wonder what kind of look that Shuuhei guy would like. He was attractive enough but she didn't want to be with a man just because he thought that she looked good. She wanted to be in a relationship where someone liked her mind, her boldness, her opinions. Nothing good came from being in a relationship with someone just because they looked nice.

Would he prove himself though, that was really the question that was on her mind. Would he be able to prove himself worthy?

"Jules, what did you really think of that guy?" one of Julie's friends asked and Julie lifted her head in acknowledgment of the question but she didn't really know what she could say.

"Katarina," Julie said as she shook her head, "You know that I am not going to date a man because he looks good in a photo, I want him to look good on paper."

"And that is why you are avoiding your mother's choices at an arranged marriage?" Katarina asked and Julie rolled her eyes.

"I'm not talking about someone who looks appealing to a Russian mother, I want a relationship like in those romance novels, the British kind," Julie argued and Katarina laughed at that. "Russian parents are the worst, right?" she asked and Katarina shook her head.

"I appreciate the way my parents want me to fill my womb with fertile eggs in order to bring life to a new generation," Katarina said sarcastically. She reached a hand out to her best friend since they were children and Julienna took it from her. "Don't you want to join me in bringing up our future generations?"

"That's my greatest desire," Julie said with a roll of her eyes, she sighed as she looked away. "But I can imagine the joy of having a daughter one day, a little girl that I get to dress up and who looks at me with those eyes telling me how much she loves and respects me and what a little princess she is."

"You could be one of those mothers who has only boys," Katarina teased her.

Julie rolled her eyes again and laughed, "Little boys are so immature, I would much prefer a little girl but then I think it's too early for me to be thinking of this. The life of a model is challenging enough, I want to make sure I have my feet firmly planted in the soil before I spread my seeds. I wonder how Shuuhei is with kids, he seems much too childish to be a great parent."

"He could play with the kids," Katarina smiled teasingly and Julie shook her head.

"Then that would make me his babysitter whilst he played with the kids and wasn't able to show them any discipline whatsoever. He'll have to prove more than his fun-loving nature if he really wants to get a future with me," Julie said as she started to walk away from the store, Katarina waving their friends over as well as she started to follow him.

"I don't think that's what his intention was," Katarina told her, "I think that he might have just wanted to take you out to dinner. That's when you can test him, see what kind of a man he really is," she said and Julie smiled.

"If I see him again and he manages to impress me, I might do that. Maybe he's worthy of some kind of long-distance relationship," she commented and Katarina laughed.

…

…

Julie sighed as she turned towards the bed where multiple outfits were piled up that she had already tried on. She had been so sure weeks ago of the perfect outfit to wear to the convention. She had wanted to appear smart, confident, and dedicated to her career but then that one new factor of Shuuhei Hozu was thrown into the mix and she wanted to impress him as well. She wanted him to work to win her so she had to look as if she were a couple of leagues above him.

She closed her eyes as she went closer to the mirror to inspect her makeup. She had always been so sure that she could apply makeup as well as any of the professionals but she was nervous that the makeup she had done was too severe. She didn't want to look harsh and out of his reach and scare him off but she wasn't going to apply it to make her look innocent and give the idea of a damsel in distress.

Men never had to worry about this, she pursed her lips again. Maybe dressing in something that showed her professional side would be good on this front as well. She wanted to be with one of the men who allowed women to continue their careers instead of them being stay at home housewives. Well, he was Japanese, there were fewer independent women over there.

She did not want to be a housewife. She needed someone who understood that and didn't need their food on the table at a precise time despite her love to prepare food for others. She smiled as she selected a dress and blazer with knee high heels. She brushed her golden hair back and went to grab her car keys.

She wanted for his jaw to drop as he looked at her and for her to act like it wasn't a big deal, that she rolled out of bed each morning looking exactly like this. Let him win her, she wouldn't give him the upper hand by telling him how much she already really loved him.

 **End of Chapter Two**

 **Thank you for reading**

 **Thank you so much to** Kris XD **for reviewing the last chapter, it really means a lot to me.**


	4. Chapter 3 - Food Dates

**AN:** This chapter is a little shorter than I intended but I hope that you still enjoy it.

 **Chapter Three – Food Dates**

Kuu was pacing the area where he had agreed to meet with Julie. He had bought her a bouquet of flowers and was wanting to know if she would consider this a kind offer or if she would think that this was conforming to gender roles. He was impressed by how independent Julie was and he didn't want to ever take that away from her. He sat down for a moment trying to calm himself but as he heard a pair of heels on the ground he stood up, it wasn't her.

He watched the other woman with a disappointed smile. Where was he? Why couldn't he stop his heart from beating out of anxiety to impress. He looked in the direction of where some other women were and then felt a hand on his shoulder.

He turned around and his face burst into a grin as he saw her, she raised an eyebrow.

"I hope that you weren't watching those other girls, that's an automatic strike out in my books," she said and Kuu looked at her with a chuckle and shake of his head.

"Never, after meeting you, I can never again look at another woman," he told her and Julie blushed before nodding.

"Good because I hate men who are disloyal," she said. Julie was used to people staring at her as if she were some mythical goddess who could rival Aphrodite herself but she hadn't expected for someone with Kuu's good looks to be watching her. She felt that she had control over the situation which she really liked. Hopefully he would prove worthy of her.

"You know," he said softly, "I realize now that flowers are not the best gift. If they're not put in water, they'll dry up. That will mean that we'll have to end our date sooner."

"Not necessarily," Julie told him and Kuu watched her with great interest as she took the flowers and went over to speak with a man at the front desk. Before Kuu had really grasped the situation, the man had pulled out a pot to put the flowers in and Julie had written down her name and phone number. He smiled at her thoughtfulness. He'd have to do something really big to impress her.

"So," Julie smiled as she returned to his side, "We have to go to the convention soon but I thought maybe we could grab something to eat," she looked him over before a playful smile appeared on her face. He stared at her with uncertainty. Was something wrong? Why was she looking at him like that? "Turn around," she told him and Kuu did so but with a little bit of hesitation. Julie slipped her hand up the back of his neck and tucked the clothing tag for his jacket in. "You must have been in a huge rush this morning," she said and he nodded.

"You know," Julie told him, "I'm glad that I make you nervous. It means that you respect me as a woman," she took his hand and his eyes widened. He had never felt something so soft before and something that felt as perfect a fit in his hand as hers. It would be a feeling that he would -"

…

…

" _-treasure for the rest of his life," Kuu said dramatically and Julie laughed with a role of her eyes. She knew that her husband wanted to paint her in the best light possible but, just like always, he was getting a little carried away with his story. She shouldn't be upset though, these dramatic emotions were one way that Kuu had always made her laugh._

 _She looked at the younger actors, "You know, you shouldn't treat everything that Kuu says seriously. I mean, he does tend to exaggerate things," she said before giving him a playful smile._

" _You have no idea how nervous I was when we first went to that café," he told her and Julie hummed._

" _I knew," she replied with a smile. "The fact that you were so interested in me wasn't a bad thing though, I liked the respect that you paid me. I also knew because I was nervous as well. I hope that I managed to hide it though. At least you must not have noticed with the breakfast you ate."_

…

…

Julie blinked as she watched the man opposite her, she had never known a man to order this many pastries from a café. She had had the occasional date get two or even split three different ones with her but Kuu had quite an appetite and a body that didn't really match up with how much he wanted to eat. He must have an amazing metabolism.

"Did you grow up eating a lot?" she laughed as she drank her coffee.

"I know, it's probably a huge turn off," Kuu sighed and Julie shook her head.

"I think it's cute. It's amazing that you can eat all of this food and not gain weight. I always find that I have to count calories to be able to keep my job. I'm really envious of you," she said and Kuu bowed his head.

"I've always had a passion for food," he told her and then nodded. "I grew up in Japan. My father is Japanese and my mother is American. It was always important to my mother that the family eat together. She was an amazing cook, she is an amazing cook, and so I found myself loving food but always craving more. At first it was only small things, a second serving of dinner but the more I ate, the more I _wanted_ to eat. I never seemed to gain weight though."

Julie laughed, "Well, you should watch that as you get older, if your metabolism slows but you're still used to eating a lot then you'll gain weight like crazy," she said before watching him. His expression had softened a lot when he started to talk about his family. She wanted someone who showed this much love and respect towards his family because that was the type of father that her future kids should have.

Wait, she couldn't let him know that she wanted kids in the future. That wasn't appropriate for a first date.

"I'm still waiting for you to impress me," she said as she looked at him and he nodded. She could see the way that he was thinking, trying to plan out something that he could do right there. "You know," she shook her head. "If you have to think about it then you're planning out something amazing, I want something spontaneous."

Kuu looked at her in shock, "Really? You want something spontaneous?" he asked her before laughing. "Should we walk down the bad part of the city? Otherwise, you might not agree to go out with me again," he told her and Julie smiled playfully.

"I don't know. Spontaneous events are pretty rare, how do you know how much time I'm giving you to impress me?" she asked before gesturing to the food with a smile on her face. "Besides, if this is a typical breakfast for you then I'm really intrigued to see what your dinner consists of."

"You'll join me for dinner tonight?" Kuu asked excitedly and Julie hummed.

"Let me think about that. I do have some plans and some photo sessions that I need to go to," she said and Kuu nodded, "but if you are available after those things then…would you be willing to wait for me before you eat?"

"I would wait for you for as long as you want me to," he told her and Julie felt the butterflies in her chest. She had wanted to take control of this date but she was being caught up in his eyes and his words. He was such a charming individual.

Julie was definitely excited to see what a second date would mean for the two of them. She had decided early on that he was special but she hadn't allowed herself to really understand how special this man was.

…

…

Julie had been kept an hour later than she had originally planned and though she knew that Shuuhei, Kuu's stage name, also had work that he had to complete, there was no guy on earth who would wait this long for her. She had often found notes or people had come up to her to tell her that the guy was tired of waiting and hadn't thought the date would be worth the sacrifice.

She hoped that she hadn't been wrong about Kuu. He had seemed so energetic and fun and honestly she needed that in her life. She was too sick of counting calories and trying to keep the perfect posture and sense of balance that a good model needed to be known for.

As she got to the area that they were planning on meeting, she saw him with his back pressed against a wall and his eyes closed. She took a shaky breath before coming over to him. He wasn't going to berate her, was he? He wasn't about to cause a scene where he would yell at her and she would be left crying. She walked over to him before seeing his eyes open and that grin across his face.

She already knew that she would fall in love with that grin. He was such a child at heart. He wasn't like the serious men that she usually went out with, the Russian men, and he wasn't your stereotypical Japanese man either. He was a free spirit. Someone who didn't have a problem joking around and stayed positive. She liked that about him.

"I'm so sorry that I'm la-" she said and Kuu shook his head.

"Don't apologize," he told her before looking into her eyes. "I wasn't going to not wait for you and I understand how busy work is, how crazy life can be but I'm really happy that I didn't give up because I have never seen such a gorgeous woman in all of my life."

"You're pretty gorgeous yourself," Julie smiled. She looked around feeling a little anxious about what she was going to say. "Many of the restaurants have closed now or are just about to close. I know that you wanted to -"

"The grocery store is still open, right?" he asked her and Julie nodded slowly. "How about I find something that I can cook for you?" he asked and Julie stopped. He was going to cook for her at this hour? Wasn't he exhausted, where were they even going to go anyway. She froze before putting her hand on his wrist.

"Why don't we buy the ingredients and you can cook at my apartment," she suggested and he smiled causing her to laugh. "You know," she told him as she put a hand to his chest. "I am really glad that I met you, Kuu Hizuri."

"Don't be," he told her and Julie looked at him nervously, "Because I'm the lucky one here. I'm the lucky one for meeting you," he said and Julie felt her heart pound in her chest. She followed him along as he started whistling and she laughed. "Something funny?" he grinned to her and she took his hand, causing him to smile.

"You're just a really happy-go-lucky guy," she said, "I like that."

Kuu smiled to her. He had waited for a long time to do this and now he was getting his chance. There was no way that he was going to let her down.

 **End of Chapter Three**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Two**

Brennakai, Kaname671, Kris XD

 **Author Response**

Well Kuu tends to exaggerate things which was also shown in the manga so I'm hoping Julie creates a type of balance for them. I'm really thankful for all of the support.


	5. Chapter 4 - Over Food

**AN:** I did a lot of putting my own ideas in about the Skip Beat history. If they ever show the meeting between Kuu and Julie, I'd be surprised if I even got 5% of this correct but I hope that you still enjoy.

 **Chapter Four – Over Food**

Kuu smiled as he put another steak in the pan. He had found out quite early on that there was little cookware in this beautifully decorated apartment. That meant that he would have to use what there was and at least there was something. He had been with other models who had told him that food wasn't part of their life. At least something was better than nothing.

He turned to Julie who was slowly cutting up some vegetables, "Thanks for helping me out but if you want to sit back with some wi-"

"Don't," Julie warned him and Kuu felt his breath catch in his throat as she pointed the knife at him. "I might not do a lot of cooking but it was always very important in my home growing up that my mother and father would cook together. I was too interested in makeup and magazines though, I wanted to shop and would become distracted. That's what family means to me though, a husband and wife preparing meals together."

Kuu smiled, he liked that idea. His mother would usually do all the cooking whilst his father went to work. They had very stereotypical roles. Well, his mother wanted to work too but it was a little harder to do so when she was a foreigner and she sometimes had become angry at how she hadn't been hired for certain jobs that she was qualified for. She had been an English language teacher who had come to Japan when she was a teenager and that's how she had met his father. Love was a huge part of it.

"So, why don't you tell me about your family?" Julie asked, "Don't the parents of Japanese men live with them or is that their daughters?"

Kuu laughed, he was too young for that to happen to. He had a large bank account because of his savings through acting and modeling but he had had a rocky relationship when he had entered show business that was only being patched up now. "My family…well, my father, he wasn't too thrilled when I went to Tokyo without telling anyone. I grew up in Kyoto," he said and Julie looked a little uncomfortable.

"Those aren't too close together, right?" she asked and Kuu nodded. He had to remember that although he had met Julie in Japan, she was a foreigner in his home country.

"You usually take the bullet train between them," Kuu nodded. "I ran away to become an actor because I love acting and then later I took on some modelling work. I think I was only able to do that because I was stubborn and refused to listen to anyone and found myself on the street one night and that's when I met Lory Takarada," he said as he smiled proudly to the name. Julie turned to him to see Kuu's proud smile. This Lory Takarada must be really important to him, maybe an idol or an actor but she hadn't heard of him. That wasn't rare though, she didn't know very much about Japanese celebrities.

"What did he do?" she asked as she passed him the mixed vegetables which he put with the steak in the pan, making sure the potatoes for the mashed potatoes were also cooking.

"He's like a god to me although he's said he feels like a father. Lory Takarada, or boss as I call him, he runs an agency in Japan. Once he saw my performance he told me that I needed to be part of his growing agency. He really helped me out, if it wasn't for him then I might not have graduated from high school and I would have had trouble finding a place to live. Boss made all of that possible for me." Kuu smiled happily as he talked about the great man.

"I don't know how I'd feel if my parents were unsupportive of my lifestyle," Julie admitted and Kuu hummed. "My mother is Russian, she was a ballerina when she was young and that's how my father – a business man – saw her. It's actually a little…well, my dad was dating another woman and she wanted to go to the ballet and said he never took her anywhere. When my father did take her, he fell in love with my mother backstage and then went to see her dance every day for a month. I've been told I look like her," Julie told him and Kuu smiled at her, he thought about how gorgeous she was before turning his attention to the steaks once again.

"Well your father is extremely lucky to have family like you, you're beautiful and if you inherited that from your mother, I can only imagine how beautiful she is," he told her and Julie nodded. Kuu looked at the steaks again. "How do you feel about egg?" he asked her and Julie hummed.

"I like eggs," she nodded before looking at the steak and mashed potato. Maybe a scrambled egg would work with the meal. She nodded before seeing him fry two eggs. She smiled but then watched as he dished the food.

Julie blinked as she looked at what he had cooked for her. There was the mashed potato on one side of the plate with the mixed vegetables cooked in the beef fat and then there were two steaks with egg on the top of them. She paused and tilted her head. This was something she had seen in Japanese restaurants but it had always felt a little out of place. Tonight seemed a good night to try it.

"What do you call this dish?" she asked as she looked at it and Kuu smiled to her proudly.

"Hamburger steak," he replied simply and Julie found herself falling in love with that smile. She blushed before gathering herself, it was much too early to be thinking about love.

…

…

"I'm sorry that I didn't make you a dessert," Kuu apologized as he brought out the ice cream that they had chosen. "It seems a little dull to just have ice cream after that meal. I should have been more thoughtful," he said and Julie shook her head. He had been a gentleman all evening, that was probably because of his Japanese background. Weren't most Japanese men raised to be gentlemen.

"Kuu," Julie hesitated as she realized how late it was. "Are you going to be safe returning to your hotel room tonight?" she asked and Kuu grinned to her.

"I'm fine, I've faced tougher stuff than this before," Kuu said and Julie had to admit that she was finding confidence in the grin but it wasn't very hospitable to kick him out after he had cooked for her.

"Do you want to stay the night?" she asked, "We could share my bed. I don't have a guest bed right now but I mean, we shouldn't have to sle-" Kuu turned to her and saw the way her cheeks had turned red. He sighed. Maybe he would take her up on her offer to stay over but he wasn't willing to force her into anything.

"I'm not going to sleep in your bed," Kuu told her before Julie paled. "Not to say that it wouldn't be an honor to be romantic with you but I don't want to rush this," he said and Julie smiled relieved. She had had many guys want to end the first date with sex but Kuu was pushing that idea back. He was being very respectful of her and that made Julie feel safer than she had been with previous men. "Maybe the couch, do you have any blankets?" he asked, "It'll be fine if you don't. I've slept without -"

"I do," Julie said before leading him back to the living room and Kuu looked to the ice cream before letting Julie guide him wherever she wanted to. She led him to the couch and gestured that he sit. "I'm going to go grab it and then we can eat ice cream together," she smiled and Kuu had to admit how much her smile really captivated him.

She was beautiful. She was far more beautiful than any woman that he had been with before. He waited for her to come back and she handed him a lilac blanket.

"I don't have any other color and it kind of smells like perfume," she apologized and Kuu took it, opening it and getting that scent of the perfume that Julie was currently wearing. "I don't know what it is, nearly everything in this apartment smells of perfume."

"It's fine," Kuu smiled, "I might have dreams about you but it's fine. Don't worry about the color. Even if you had handed me a blanket covered with unicorns, I'd have been happy to take it," he assured her and Julie smiled again. She went to get the ice cream from the kitchen.

She felt that she would actually die if this man didn't agree to go on another date with her. She shouldn't have been so carried away. She hadn't wanted to fall for him so early on especially when all that they could hope for was a long distance relationship. Still, she wanted to spend as much time with him as possible.

Julie picked up the ice cream before going back to see Kuu. "Tomorrow night," she said and he looked at her. "Are you busy?" she asked and Kuu smiled, shaking his head, "then I want to take you to my favorite restaurant and you better bring your appetite," she said and Kuu grinned.

"I wouldn't dare forget it," he said. He was a hopeless romantic and he was romantically hopeless when it came to her. He just had to see her for as many nights as possible.

….

…

 _Julie smiled as she turned to her husband and then looked to Kuon and Kyoko. "I can't even describe how much your father deciding to sleep on that couch that night meant to me," she said before turning to Kuu. "You didn't pressure me to do anything for weeks. I felt really special and cared for," she said and Kuon turned to Kyoko with a grin. He had always been respectful of her, it was good to hear that his father had also been the same when it had come to dating his mother._

 _Kuu paused, "It didn't stop the next morning from happening," he laughed and Julie hesitated. Yes, the next morning had been very interesting._

" _What happened the next morning?" Kyoko asked, becoming even more engaged in the story of their romance. Kuu chuckled weakly, obviously something had happened and his weak laugh made a lot of sense with Julie's next words._

" _I had forgotten that I made early morning plans with my dad," she said and Kyoko's eyes widened. That didn't sound like a good scenario at all._

 **End of Chapter Four**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Three**

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671, Kris XD, paulagato


	6. Chapter 5 - American Dad

**Chapter Five – American Dad**

Julie felt a little like a stalker as she watched the man she was attracted to sleep on her sofa. She wanted to make sure that he had everything that he needed and she felt captivated by every breath. She was a stalker. She was a creep. She was watching him sleep and she wasn't giving him an explanation as to why she was doing so. She sighed and heard a knock on the door. Kuu roused a little but went back to sleep.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Julie said and Kuu nodded. He was exhausted from waiting for her the night before and she appreciated that. He was wearing himself out in sacrifice for her and although she should be concerned with his health, no man had really wanted to prove himself so much. She definitely felt special.

As she walked to the door, she froze as she saw the man on the other side. "Crap," she said and Kuu sat up despite his sleepiness and messed up hair – which Julie thought was very cute – "Crap."

"What is it?" he yawned and Julie looked at him sympathetically. She turned to look around to see if there was anywhere she could shove him out but she didn't want to cause him to worry and she definitely didn't want to jeopardize any future that the two of them might have together.

"I just….there's somebody…." She hurried to explain and Kuu stared at her.

"Listen, I'm definitely attracted to you and I loved that we ate together, but if you have a boyfriend then…then I can't be in a relationship with you," he said whilst panicked and Julie looked at him sharply.

"You really think that I'm that type of woman?" she accused him and Kuu shook his head. The way that this usually played out in scenes was that a woman wanted to hide her secret lover from her boyfriend so that he didn't know that she had cheated on him. This definitely appeared to be one of those times. He smelled like her perfume because of the blanket that he had slept under and although he adored Julie and was a peaceful guy, he would punch somebody who slept with his girlfriend.

"What are you trying to tell me?" Kuu asked as he looked at her quite confused.

"My…" Julie sighed and dropped her head, "My father's here," she said and Kuu sat upright. His eyes wide. They hadn't even been dating as boyfriend and girlfriend and now he had to meet the father. By the way that Julie was acting he was probably a person who would easily misunderstand this situation. He paled and Julie tried to calm herself with some deep breaths. "It's okay. It's okay. We haven't done anything, it's okay," she said and Kuu watched her nervously.

This guy must be a really big deal to her.

Julie opened the door and Kuu stood up. He was half asleep and his body wasn't in the state that it should be in when meeting anyone important to Julie. His hair was pushed to one side and there were wrinkles in his clothes, his feet were also bare so he was extremely exposed to the man walking through the door.

"Daddy!" Julie said as she hugged her father. He was a typical American business man and Kuu took a step back with a weak smile appearing on his face. The man raised an eyebrow at him. Kuu had to wonder if this man was a CEO of some important business. He had a button-up shirt and blazer and pants that had been crisply ironed. "Good morning, it's a surprise to see you this early in the morning."

"I see," her father said slowly before looking across at Kuu and humming. Kuu wasn't sure what that meant. "You have someone here."

"Hi, I'm…I'm Hizu-Kuu, I'm Kuu Hizuri," Kuu said as he held his hand out. He had worked with plenty of Americans to know that he'd get judged for a bow and this man seemed a true American, the type that you would see in classic movies. Julie's mother must have been the one with the Russian in her. That was something that made his mother a little bit different than Julie's father. His mother was an American who had fallen in love with Japanese culture, this man gave Kuu a feeling of his patriotism.

"Japanese?" the man asked as he raised an eyebrow and Kuu nodded.

"Yes, sir," Kuu said hoping that his background would save him this time. The stereotype that Americans had about people from Japan was that they were very reserved and respectful. They would never just jump into a girl's bed. Hopefully he could rest on that and the disbelief that he wouldn't act like a pig to save him in the eyes of this man.

"Breakfast," Julie's father said again with a hum and a look to the side, "We're going out for breakfast."

"We're going out for breakfast," Kuu laughed uncomfortably as he rubbed his back. "All of us?" he asked and the man turned to him.

"Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, eyeing Kuu suspiciously.

"No, no sir," Kuu replied at once feeling himself sweating underneath his shirt. Julie was his dream woman and it seemed that her father meant a lot to her. One way of impressing a good woman was to impress her parents but he had had no time for this at all. He hesitated a little and then smiled, 'Yeah…breakfast sounds…sounds good."

"You didn't sleep with my daughter, did you?" he asked causing even more tension in the room.

"No," Kuu said as he turned to Julie. "She just offered me a place to stay,"

"So, what…" the older man asked, "You're her boyfriend, I hope."

"Yes," Julie finally interjected as she stood beside Kuu and held his hand in her own. He blinked, his eyes widening as he felt her closeness. He hadn't expected for this to happen. He laughed weakly and listened to the next words that Julie said. "Yes, he's my boyfriend."

….

…

Kuu looked to Julie a few times as they waited for their American style breakfast. He was mentally telling himself to not eat too much because he wanted to give a good impression to the intimidating man in front of him. He looked at the sausages on the plate and saw Julie smiling to him. At least she looked extremely cute.

"So, what's your sex life like?" the man asked and Kuu almost choked on the piece of sausage he had picked up. What was this? Some kind of Tommy Wiseau movie? He looked down and put his fork down.

"I am a healthy man," he said and Julie blushed at his response. She wanted to interrupt Kuu and explain to her father that they really hadn't done anything and she was just being hospitable to him. They hadn't shared a bed and that was what she would do if she _had_ slept with him. "I do however stay loyal to one partner at a time and I don't push that partner to do anything that she would not want to do. I have…umm…other outlets."

Julie stared at him knowing what Kuu was talking about. That was the most uncomfortable question ever and this situation was getting more and more perverse.

"So, what's your occupation?" he asked and Kuu looked at him nervously.

"I'm an actor primarily but I do a lot of modeling on the side. I'm actually here because of the modeling convention and I met your daughter in Japan. I wanted to cultivate a strong relationship with her where I respect her independence but can still act romantically."

"Okay," the American said as he turned to Julie. "I'm very protective over my crown jewel," he said and Kuu smiled at the pet name that he had given to Julie.

"I would never do anything that would leave her unprotected," Kuu tried to reply and reassure the man opposite him. Julie's father sighed and picked up his coffee taking a long sip from it.

"My wife should have returned from her work in two weeks. If you two _are_ still together then I think it would be a great time for the four of us to have dinner together. If you're important to Julie then it's only fair that my wife get to meet you as well," he said and Julie looked eager but Kuu looked between them disappointed. He sighed and bowed his head and Julie reached out for his hand. Was he going to say something stupid like he wasn't important to her?

"I have to go back to Japan," Kuu tried to explain, "I don't live in America. I was born in Kyoto but currently live in Tokyo. My mother is American but I don't live here, I wouldn't be able to accept that invitation."

Julie's father nodded, seeming to understand what Kuu was saying. "Well, my invitation still stands. I hope that you'll come back to America as soon as possible but I admire a man who cares about his work and his work ethic. That is something very important, as important as supporting a woman and respecting my daughter."

Kuu nodded. He hoped he would have a chance to do that. He hoped that he had a chance to do everything that would be important to Julie and impress anyone whose opinion mattered to her. He wanted to prove that he was worthy of her.

…

…

After Julie's father had left, Julie made an attempt to treat Kuu to a snack and coffee at a nearby café. She felt awful for putting him through all of that but somehow he had impressed her father. She liked that he did that but there was one thing that she was hesitant on. "Kuu," she said awkwardly, "When I told my father that you were -"

"It's okay," Kuu said as he tried to keep her from saying the words which he was expecting. He wasn't foolish enough to actually believe that he was her boyfriend. Any girl would lie about that. Still, she hadn't said he was nobody to her either. "I didn't mean to make you say that. I know that a boyfriend is someone very important to a woman so…"

"Yes," Julie nodded, "a boyfriend is very important to a woman," she smiled at him and then looked away trying not to show how scared she was of him turning her down. This was intimidating to her and put her in an uncomfortable situation emotionally but she had to try. "Would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?" she asked and Kuu grinned happily, lighting up the whole room.

"Of course!" he said ecstatically and Julie laughed at how adorable she found him. "Are you okay with a long distance relationship, though?" he asked since he knew that in the past that had been a deciding factor for her. As much as he loved her, he wasn't ready to uproot his whole life.

"I think so," Julie smiled, "but I'd love to go back to Japan. Would that be okay if I was to accompany you back there?" she asked and Kuu smiled excitedly.

"You'd do that?" he asked before punching the air in victory and Julie laughed again. This man's actions were charmingly childlike. She nodded and Kuu turned to her. He was about to act romantic but this time it was Julie who initiated the kiss.

"I'm really looking forward to it," she told him and Kuu felt himself in a daze that only a kiss from someone one loves can put them in.

 **End of Chapter Five**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Four**

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671


	7. Chapter 6 - The Return to Japan

**AN:** Apart from two of my fics which I'll be updating more often, I decided to update based on last update so thank you for choosing to continue reading these fics.

 **Chapter Six – The Return to Japan**

"I can't believe you," Makoto laughed as he stood at the airport with Kuu and the lovely Julienna. He was still stunned that Kuu had spent so much time obsessing over his dream woman and she was right here in front of them. Makoto tilted his head to the side and gestured to Kuu. "You know, he's got his faults," he continued and Kuu gave him a sharp but playful glare.

"Don't scare her off so suddenly," he joked before bowing his head. He smiled as he thought about how lucky he was. Even if he would only be with Julie a few more weeks, he would enjoy them. He wanted to prove to her that he was worthy of her. She was beautiful inside and out and he couldn't even describe how badly he had fallen in love with her.

"I'm sure I'll love those as well," Julie said with a soft kiss to Kuu's cheek.

"God, do you ever stop getting girls to fall in love with you," Makoto asked and Kuu's eyes widened but he turned to Julie who was laughing.

"He certainly stole my heart," she said and Kuu smiled at her, so much love and affection in his eyes. He had never felt so lucky with any other woman and it wasn't the fact that he wanted her body and he wanted to touch her in intimate ways which was fueling their relationship. He wanted to protect her and spoil her and show her how much he adored her.

"Are you going to introduce her to the president?" Makoto asked and Julie paled. She stood there with wide eyes and Makoto chuckled again and shook his head, "I mean, the president of our agency. Lory Takarada is pretty famous in Japan though. He's a little eccentric."

"Eccentric?" Julie asked and Kuu hummed.

"Boss is great, I'm sure that he'll fall in love with you as much as I have. He's really understanding and he's really passionate," the brunette actor attempted to explain and Julie raised an eyebrow. Makoto laughed again.

"God, Shuuhei, don't scare her," he commented and Kuu turned to him with a weak smile. "I mean, the president's pretty cool and understanding but he's not going to act like some creep who has fallen for you. He has his own group of fangirls. They all love him and I'm totally supportive of this," he said as he gestured between Kuu and Julie.

"Passionate?" Julie asked, "Towards all of those women?"

"He's passionate towards everyone," Kuu attempted to explain and Julie laughed.

"I can't wait to meet him," she replied. At that moment, the announcement came that the plane they were taking would soon be boarding and Kuu stared at Julie. He couldn't believe he was lucky enough that she had agreed to follow him to Japan. Not many women would hop on a plane to a foreign country for a new boyfriend. He felt special that she trusted him so much and he also loved her sense for adventure. He still was in awe that such a woman truly existed.

…

…

Julie stared at Kuu as they arrived at the airport. She was surprised to see the amount of people who were taking photographs of him and the amount of chatter that there was with people saying the name Shuuhei. She knew that he was an actor who modelled on the side but she hadn't known that he was _this_ famous. She felt a little lost when she felt his arm around her. Wasn't PDA rarer in Japan? She didn't want too many people speculating on their relationship.

"You really are loved," she said as they approached his manager and Kuu shook his head. He turned back to Makoto who had left in a different direction. They would see one another soon but Kuu was eager to show Julie his apartment and a little nervous too.

He often felt proud of his success and how it paid for his living expenses but would the apartment be what Julie was imagining, would it fall short of her expectations and therefore would he also fall short of her expectations? He reached the car and opened the door open for her before helping his manager with their bags. He held Julie's hand as he finally came to sit down next to her.

"Was that okay?" he asked and Julie looked at his hand before looking at him in a questioning fashion.

"You holding my hand?" she asked before smiling, "It's sweet. I appreciate it. It makes me feel safe," she admitted and Kuu smiled. He sighed and bowed his head. "What is it? Is it not about the hand holding?"

"The reception that we got at the airport, all of those people talking about me, cheering for me, did that not affect you?" he asked with a little hope resting in his words. Julie grinned. She turned to look out of the window as they started moving.

"It was a little more than I was expecting," she admitted honestly, "but it proves to me that your home country truly loves you. You must have done incredible work and I'm just surprised that someone like me is who you choose to be with. Japan idolizes you."

"And I idolize you," Kuu told her and Julie blushed.

"You don't have to say that," Julie said quickly before smiling, her cheeks turning a deep red. "But thank you. I've dated other men before but they've always been so proud of their success that they start to brag about it. I know that it takes hard work to build a career for yourself but you're such a humble person, Kuu," she said and he smiled. "I like being with you."

"I wouldn't choose anyone else to be with," Kuu told her before pointing out a restaurant. "I'd like to take you there some time, they have the best traditional Japanese cooking. I grew up in Kyoto and their cooking always makes me think of my father," he told her.

"You said you're half American?" Julie asked and Kuu nodded. "Meaning that your mother is American. How did that happen?" she asked out of interest. Kuu smiled, shaking his head as he laughed.

"Well, my mother is in love with Japanese culture," Kuu said as he looked forwards with his hands on his knees. Since his parents weren't exactly famous and he had proved to them that he could make it as an actor rather than gone to a school as his father had wanted, he didn't really have the opportunity to talk about them very often. However, he did love both his parents and they always made his childhood exciting and interesting. "She came as a teenager and my dad was handsome but that wasn't what she loved about him. She lost her passport and my dad helped her find it," he said and Julie hummed.

"She came to think of my father as a hero. He was always hard at work but he would put aside his work in order to spend time with her. My mother taught me that family should come first. The idea of nurturing a child has always been important to me," he turned to Julie and froze. Had he just pushed this relationship off of a cliff by talking about his desire to bring forth new life into the world. "No pressure or anything," he said and Julie smiled.

"I've always imagined having a daughter," she said and Kuu nodded, a daughter would be good, he wouldn't love the child any less because of their gender. "I mean, a little girl who I can shop with. I'd be really happy if I could dress her up."

"Yes," Kuu said as he leaned forwards and thought about how beautiful a little Julie would look. He was into strong women and he could teach his own daughter the way to fight for the life she wanted. He would protect her and she would look up to him as her father. It wasn't a bad thing to want. "A daughter sounds nice," he said and Julie smiled.

"Most men would want a son," Julie told him and Kuu shook his head.

"It doesn't matter whether it was a boy or a girl. I would just care that the child was healthy and happy. I just want to be a good father to the child I will hopefully have in the future," he said and Julie grinned at him, watching him closely. She had no denial that that would be the case. A wonderful father, she could imagine that being the case for Kuu.

He had already been so wonderful to her.

…

…

Kuu nervously paced in front of Lory's office as Julie sat down on one of the sofas. She didn't know why Kuu was so nervous to introduce her to this man, he spoke of him a figure akin to an uncle or young father. She knew that he had given him the chance to act and that was something that was very important to him but he couldn't be this bad or this unreasonable. Kuu always spoke about the man's passion and love of others. Was it this intimidating?

As the door opened, another person exited and Julie could see nothing special about them, just an office worker. She reached out for Kuu's hand. He was making it so that she was very nervous about making a good impression. Was it going to be hard for her to be accepted.

As the door opened again, she saw a man dressed in a toga and she paused before looking at Kuu unsure. Was this an assistant? Were people dressed in character in Japanese agencies. She saw Kuu smile and drop down into a bow. She followed suit but the man walked in front of her and grinned. She wasn't sure of his age, maybe in his thirties of forties.

"Ah, this beauty must be the wonderful Julienna," he said before reaching for her hand and kissing it in a very European manner. "Young lady, you are as beautiful as Shuuhei told me. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

Julie nodded with a smile. She turned to Kuu. Why was he so nervous about this meeting? The gentlemen seemed extremely polite, was there some secret which she just wasn't understanding?

 **End of Chapter Six**

 **Thank you for reading, reviews are appreciated**

 **Thank you to the reviewers of Chapter Five**

Brennakai, H-Nala, Kaname671


End file.
